Michael Allen Kenney, a 54-year-old resident of Hamlin, West Virginia, has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentencing is due to his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Kenney was found guilty by a federal jury on November 6, 2024, after a two-day trial. The incident leading to his arrest occurred on May 17, 2023, when Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call at a video poker parlor in Poca. An officer observed Kenney retrieve a loaded Ruger Model EC9s 9mm pistol from his waistband. He was subsequently arrested.
Federal law prohibits individuals with felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition. Kenney had prior felony convictions including possession of a stolen vehicle in Kanawha County Circuit Court (2017), being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm in Mason County Circuit Court (2014), and fleeing with reckless indifference in Putnam County Circuit Court (2014).
Following his arrest, officers obtained and executed a search warrant for the vehicle Kenney used to arrive at the parlor. Inside the vehicle, they discovered methamphetamine packaged for distribution and additional ammunition. A recorded jail call revealed that Kenney acknowledged ownership of these items.
The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory linked the firearm seized from Kenney to an earlier shooting incident on April 26, 2023, also in Poca.
Kenney's criminal record includes over 20 prior convictions since age 18 for offenses such as domestic battery and controlled substance violations.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston stated: “Mr. Kenney has spent much of his adult life unlawfully endangering the public... I commend the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their investigative work.”
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers handed down the sentence.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
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